C.J. Mosley never considered skipping Ravens' workouts during contract talks

Green Bay Packers safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram attended only the three-day mandatory portion of their NFL teams' offseason programs. Each player is entering the final season of his contract, although both said skipping the voluntary workouts in April and May wasn't part of angling for a new deal.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones also missed his team's offseason program, including the mandatory portion, and team officials made it clear he was unhappy with his contract, which has three seasons remaining.

Baltimore Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley played with Clinton-Dix, Ingram and Jones at Alabama. He's entering the final season of his contract.

Mosley participated in the Ravens' full offseason program.

"It's just what I'm used to - coming to work, being here with my guys in the offseason, building new relationships with the rookies and the new players on the team," Mosley said. "For me, it's just what I've been used to the last four years."

Mosley's presence has been reassuring to Don "Wink" Martindale, who's stepping up from Baltimore's linebackers coach to defensive coordinator this year.

"Having C.J. here, I'm fired up about him every day, because he's the quarterback of this whole thing," Martindale said.

Baltimore coach John Harbaugh said Mosley understood how important he was to the transition.

"We're doing a lot of really neat things on defense - things that are really good," Harbaugh said last week. "C.J. is excited to be in there and learn them and do them. The fact that we're putting more than ever on our players on the field in real time to make decisions - well, you want your decision-makers out there practicing now."

Harbaugh said Mosley's attendance at the offseason program demonstrated his dedication to his leadership role.

"I can't say enough good things about who he is as a person," Harbaugh said. "He is very smart. He understands the business-side of it. He has patience in that sense. I think he gets really wise counsel from his parents, but he's also a leader. He's tough, he loves football and he understands that for us to be great on defense, we need him out there, we need him running the show. He's doing that every day in practice and doing a great job. He's in here training. He's getting stronger. I'm very proud of what he's done throughout the course of the offseason, and I'm very confident - and I think he feels the same way - that things will get taken care of."

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The Ravens picked up their option for a fifth season on Mosley's four-year, $8.79 million rookie contract, signed after they selected him with the 17th choice in the 2014 NFL Draft. He'll play the 2018 season for $8,718,000, unless a long-term deal is worked out before then.

The Houston Texans signed linebacker Benardrick McKinney to a five-year, $50 million contract extension, with $21 million in guaranteed money, last week. McKinney was entering the final season of his four-year rookie contract.

McKinney, who has never been picked for the Pro Bowl, has 282 tackles, nine sacks, no interceptions, three passes defended, two forced fumbles and no fumble recoveries in three seasons. Mosley has 492 tackles, eight sacks, eight interceptions, 31 passes defended, six forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries in four seasons. Mosley has received three Pro Bowl invitations.

The biggest contract held by an NFL inside linebacker is the five-year, $61.8 million deal of the Carolina Panthers' Luke Kuechly, a four-time first-team All-Pro and former NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Like McKinney, the Minnesota Vikings' Eric Kendricks has a five-year, $50 million contract, and the Los Angeles Rams' Mark Barron (a former St. Paul's and Alabama standout) and the Kansas City Chiefs' Anthony Hitchens have five-year, $45 million contracts to complete the top five in inside-linebacker pay.

Mosley said he wasn't focused on his next contract, although he'd like to stay in Baltimore.

"I leave that with my agent and upstairs," Mosley said last week. "I'm just here for football."

What Mosley is focused on is continuing to grow as a leader for the Ravens.

"For the core part of me, I'm still pretty quiet off the field," Mosley said. "But on the field, more vocal, more comfortable talking to a guy whether he's been here two years, five years or if somebody just came here for one day. That comes with the knowledge of the game and knowing the defense and being in the system going on five years now. For me, it's easier to tell a guy how to do this or what to do because I've been in this league a long time, and I have the knowledge now that I didn't have back then."

Mosley won the Class 6A Lineman of the Year Award in 2009 at Theodore High School, and he'll be back at his alma mater next month for his annual free football camp. The camp has been broken into two days this year, with campers 6 through 13 years old attending on July 13 and campers 14 through 18 years old attending on July 14. Campers can register online.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @AMarkG1.